Aurora
by EllaoftheOpera
Summary: Liana Rose has settled nicely into her new life with her new family and loving boyfriend, Peter Parker. But life can be brutal sometimes, especially when it throws you a curveball. After a significant head injury, a forgotten memory is brought to the surface, bringing with it new information that could change her life forever. What would you do if you found out you weren't alone?
1. Prologue

It was a long shot, and he knew it.

There were quite a few variables that would have to fall into precisely the right place for him to even have the chance to _attempt_ this. And even if the variables were in his favor, what were the odds of this even working? Most, if not all of the test subjects for this project had already been… disposed of. Were any of them even still alive?

He wasn't even sure if the research had been completed. He knew that they had come close to finishing it, excruciatingly close, but whether or not the objective had been met remained a mystery. The higher-ups had decided to terminate the project, deeming it too risky to continue, due to the Avengers breathing so closely down their necks.

Still, Oskar was not one to give up so easily.

It had taken nearly everything he had to make it back here. After several flights, many hours spent on multiple buses, and one very long hike, he had exhausted nearly all of his resources. It would all be worth it, he decided, once he finally reached his destination.

And reach it he had.

He could still remember, almost three years ago, his narrow escape from this very facility. His egress was not an easy one; he'd walked several days to make it to the nearest city (which really wasn't very near at all), only to find it teeming with SHIELD agents. Luckily, he was trained for situations like this. HYDRA didn't mess around.

After making a quick payphone call to a Swiss bank, he hopped a bus to Berlin, where he met up with an old friend and HYDRA apologist who forged him a new passport with a new name. He then boarded a small charter flight to Dubai, where he'd been biding his time until now.

HYDRA contacted him of course. He had hoped it would be to congratulate him, but instead, they reprimanded him, stripped him of his agent status, and put him on their watch list. Now he was wanted, not only by SHIELD and Interpol, but by HYDRA itself.

This enraged Oskar. Why would they do such a thing? He'd been loyal from the very beginning! Who had activated the Winter Soldier while still inside the Avengers Compound? Him! Who had eliminated several dozen SHIELD agents in their tracks? _Him!_

_Who had successfully recaptured Experiment 13 and brought her back to base?_

_HIM!_

He spent a great many long, contemplative hours trying to decide what to do next and how to regain their favor. He didn't want revenge. No! He wanted the praise he was rightfully owed! He was a hero! He accomplished what no other HYDRA agent was ever able to do! Shouldn't he be rewarded for that?

And then, one night, after too many drinks and not nearly enough sleep, it came to him.

_Project Everest._

It had been "discontinued" long before he became an agent, but there were a few facilities still working on it, secretly, out of view of the higher-ups, one of which happened to be the base he used to be stationed at.

However, now that the Avengers knew about that compound, it would be much more difficult to regain entry. Much of it had been destroyed in their attempt to rescue Experiment 13 (a successful attempt, unfortunately) and SHIELD had ransacked it afterward, taking every file and downloading all the information they could off the hard drives. They had added it to their current registry of known HYDRA bases (because why would they not), which meant regular satellite surveillance and recording would be the norm.

Oskar knew this. He was no fool. He knew that it would take skill to reenter the base. That's why, for the last six months, he'd been planning, plotting, figuring out the minutiae down to the smallest of details. And now, finally, all of his planning would come full circle, and his most ingenious of ideas would come to fruition.

He just had to get inside first.

It was exactly as he'd last seen it. SHIELD had done their best to cover the gaping hole in the building's exterior where the Hulk had smashed his way inside, but it was crudely done with nothing more than a heavy duty tarp and some screws. They obviously didn't think anyone would try to come back here.

He knew that, since there had been a battle here only a few years prior, this base would have stricter surveillance than some of the others. He also knew from his HYDRA training and general military background that the field cameras SHIELD used to keep an eye on these abandoned locations were relatively low tech; they took a picture of the area every two minutes or so and only sounded the alarm if there was a significant difference in the photos. That meant that he had two minutes to cut through the tarp, get inside, and patch it up enough so that the camera couldn't tell any difference.

He knew from his research that there were four cameras watching the outside and two indoors, one in the records room and the other in the main laboratory. It was highly probable that they'd hacked into the existing security cameras as well, but he wasn't too worried about those. They were live cameras but they didn't record, and who would be sitting around doing nothing but watching an abandoned HYDRA base all day?

He watched the camera trained on the tarp for a few minutes, observing the small green indicator light that briefly lit up each time a picture was taken. He wanted to make sure he was timing his entry just right. If previous practice attempts were accurate, he would have just enough time to get inside, provided everything went as smoothly as it was supposed to.

The second the indicator light dimmed once more, he sprung into action.

With a flick of his pocket knife, a rip in the tarp was made near the bottom, big enough for him to crawl through. He quickly pulled his backpack inside and realigned the ripped edges of the tarp before securing them on the inside with duct tape. From the outside, no one would ever be able to tell a difference.

After slipping his backpack over his shoulders once more, he pulled out a flashlight and started walking down the oh-so-familiar hallways and corridors, taking in the damage and disrepair that surrounded him. There were very few windows in the facility, so sunlit areas were few and far between. Luckily, he knew his path by heart.

It was neither the records room nor the laboratory that he was headed, but a small separate lab tucked away in the back of the building. The deterioration grew worse the closer he got. The walls, floors, and even the ceiling were covered in noticeable water damage. He could see patches of black mold growing in some areas and stopped short to retrieve a few more items from his pack. A respirator, safety goggles, thick gloves, and a Tyvek suit. Donning his safety gear, he continued his trek, sloshing through several inches of stagnant water in his heavy-duty combat boots.

The lab itself was worse than anything he could have imagined on his own.

The entire room was filled with at least half a foot of sludgy green water. Black mold grew up and down the walls and ceiling, covering as much available space as it could find. The furniture, the equipment, papers, books… All of it was strewn about haphazardly like gale force winds had blown through that room and that room only. In the center of the room was a table covered in broken, rotting leather straps.

He was definitely in the right place.

Slowly, he trudged his way through the muck towards the table, hoping and praying that all of this effort would be worth it, that he would meet his end goal. He knelt down next to it and looked at its underside. Slowly, he moved his hand around underneath the table, feeling for something, anything, until the smallest of grooves made itself known. He pushed his finger into the groove and heard a slightly muffled but very satisfying click. Peering underneath, he saw that a small portion of the table's underside had slid inward and away, revealing a small cranny. With shaking hands, he reached inside.

And there it was.

A small, completely untouched USB drive.

If Oskar was in any other circumstances he would've cheered. Here, in his extremely dirty but still very dry hands, was the key to his reinstatement, the solution to his problem. A wide, menacing grin grew on his face as he stared at it. On this small flash drive was every file, every bit of research, every piece of information known about Project Everest. He was now in possession of some of the most precious and powerful information on the planet.

And it was his for the taking.

And here, finally, basking in the fruits of his labor, he allowed himself to utter one small simple phrase, two words that had never left his mind, words that he had been saving for this very moment in time:

_"Hail HYDRA."_

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! Thank you to everyone who voted and suggested names for this story. I'll be doing my best to update weekly, but life is crazy (when is it not) so be please be patient.**

**I created a Tumblr for my writing as well! You can hear about updates, request stories, and ask my characters questions. Just copy and paste this link: .com**

**Happy reading! -Ella**


	2. Chapter 1

_You can do this... just a few more seconds... you can do this..._

Sweat was dripping down Lia's forehead, making her eyes sting. She screwed them closed, ignoring her screaming muscles. She could do this...

"3... 2... 1... clear!"

_Finally!_

She rolled over off of Bucky onto the mat and groaned. Still, a smile made its way onto her face. She'd finally beaten him!

"Thanks for spotting, Clint," she heard him say beside her.

"You kidding? I would pay good money to see her pin you again." She could almost hear Clint's massive grin.

"Shut up, Katniss," she muttered.

"I heard that!"

The mat shifted as Bucky stood up. He took in her closed eyes and deep breathing before nudging her lightly with his foot.

"You alive, Rosie?"

"Jury's still out."

He nudged her again, prompting her to open one eye to peer up at him. He had a hand held out to help her up. She gladly accepted it and allowed him to gently pull her to her feet. He smiled at her.

"You finally did it, kid. I'm proud of you. I'd hug you if I wasn't so sweaty."

"Were you going easy on me?"

"I barely held back, just enough so that I wouldn't hurt you if I hit you. You're getting really strong, Lia."

She smiled triumphantly at that.

"Clint! Who won?" Natasha called from the next mat over.

Clint's smile immediately left. "Lia..."

Natasha smirked and held out her hand. "Told you so."

Clint muttered something about unfair odds as he rummaged through his pockets, eventually pulling a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket. He begrudgingly handed it over, folding his arms like an upset toddler.

Lia raised an eyebrow. "You guys bet on us?"

Clint nodded with a pout. "Yeah, and she won."

"Of course I did. I never bet unless I know I'll win." She winked at Lia and tossed her a water bottle. "You did good, _Malyshka_."

Lia grinned at her. "I had a great teacher, _Momochka_." She uncapped the water bottle and took a good swig.

"You have enough energy for one more go?" Nat asked, reaching for her own water bottle.

"You have any more moves you can teach me?"

"Maybe," she replied vaguely. "Do you have one in mind?"

"Happy told me about one you pulled on him back in the day," Lia said nonchalantly.

Nat looked up at her. "Oh?"

"He said he tried to punch you and you grabbed his arm, flipped upside down, wrapped your legs around his neck, and yanked him to the ground."

She chuckled. "I remember that. That was the day I met him and Tony, I believe. Did I ever tell you that story?"

"No, but he did," Lia answered. "He's still sour that you pinned him in front of Tony."

"And he's done his best to stay on her good side ever since," Tony commented, walking toward the small group in a business suit. He nodded at the two of them. "Red. Mini-Red."

Bucky eyed Tony's choice of clothing. "What brings you down here? I highly doubt you came to work out."

"Nah, I just came from a business meeting Pepper made me attend. Some shareholders thing. Anyway, the big man just DM'ed me. We have a new mission."

Lia perked up at that. "What kind of mission?"

"You'll have to wait and see, Tesla," he said.

Because she was still a minor, SHIELD was rather strict when it came to allowing Lia to accompany the Avengers on missions. There was a lot of criteria that had to be met. She wasn't allowed on missions that took place outside of the country, could be considered exceptionally dangerous, or involved matters of national security. And, unless it was summer, she was only permitted to go on missions on the weekend. That one was enforced more by Natasha than SHIELD. She wanted her daughter to graduate before she started doing more serious missions.

Honestly, she should be thankful she was even allowed to go on missions at all, considering how unstable she was when she first arrived almost three years prior. Things were much different back then. Every dream was a nightmare, and every nightmare was a memory she wished she hadn't recovered.

Bucky sympathized with her, knowing exactly how painful the memory retrieval process was. Brainwashing was a torture he wouldn't wish on anyone. He'd lost count of how many nights he'd spent in her room, letting her cry things out while she recounted the horrors of what could barely be considered a childhood.

On Lia's very first day, Natasha took her to see one of the psychiatrists employed at the compound. Dr. Breyer was as sweet as her name suggested (Lia even called her the ice cream doctor in the very beginning) and immediately diagnosed the girl with PTSD, GAD, and separation anxiety, all of which she assured her were treatable. She promised Lia she'd get her feeling better, and she did, slowly but surely.

As Lia began the process of rediscovering her memories, she began having flashbacks of things that had happened to her. They were mundane, at first. She'd be sitting down to eat breakfast and suddenly be sitting in her "room" at HYDRA eating the same flavorless oatmeal she had every morning. It was odd, definitely, but not inherently distressing. Dr. Breyer assured her that the flashbacks were a perfectly normal part of PTSD and that no, she was not going crazy. She encouraged Lia to tell her about them, even if they seemed boring and insignificant.

It wasn't until after her first panic attack that they started to get worse.

The mere mention of Dr. Pohl's name seemed to trigger something in her mind, flip a switch of some sort. The flashbacks went from zero to fifty overnight. Now, all she had to do was put on a seatbelt and suddenly she was being strapped into that horrid table, getting ready for another tortuous injection.

After being kidnapped once more by HYDRA, things got even worse. She became afraid to be alone and refused to go to sleep unless someone was in her room with her. She found it hard to trust anyone not in her family unit, and even then she still had a few doubts about Bucky. She had forgiven him, definitely, and trusted him to an extent, but it took a long while for her to trust him enough to be around him alone.

Now, after almost three years, Lia was a few months shy of turning eighteen. The flashbacks had all but stopped, and the few she had were non-threatening and didn't last very long. The last couple of years had been hard, sure, but they were also the best of her life, because, for the first time in her life, she was free to do as she wished.

The concept of freedom still awed her. The ability to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted to do it seemed almost too good to be true at first. She remembered spending the majority of her first week in the compound quite confused that nobody had told her what she should be doing. Tony finally sat her down and explained that she could do whatever she wanted (within reason) and that she didn't have to have to ask permission every time. She relished her freedom and the fact that, for the first time ever, she was in control of everything. Her mind, her body, her life. She finally felt like she had a life now, something that made her truly happy. And she was going to hold onto that happiness with everything she had for as long as she was able.

Lia took another long swig of her water. "I guess that move will have to wait?"

Natasha nodded, stepping off the mat to follow Tony back to the elevator. "I'll teach it to you some other time."

"I'm gonna hold you to that."

"I'd be disappointed in you if you didn't."

Clint snorted. "She is definitely your daughter, Tasha."

"Are we absolutely sure they aren't biologically related somehow?" Tony asked. "Cause I'm starting to have some serious doubts."

ooOOoo

One shower later, Lia was standing behind the sofa in the living room while the rest of the Avengers sat on or around it, listening as Tony debriefed them.

"SHIELD received a distress call just under an hour ago from a mental hospital the next county over called the Ravenscroft Institute. One of their maximum security patients managed to break out of his room and elude capture long enough to knock a guard out and swipe his keycard. Since then, he's managed to release over a dozen more max security patients with no signs of slowing down. The police have set up a tight border around the hospital to keep the patients in, but it's complete chaos inside. The institute houses quite a few supervillains that are unable to stand trial due to insanity or other mental problems, so we're gonna have our hands full. SHIELD is already there waiting. They're sending a helicopter big enough to fit four of us. I'm going. Who else wants in?"

Lia raised her hand.

Tony, already knowing what she was going to ask, smirked.

"There's nothing here that goes against SHIELD guidelines, Tesla."

Her face lit up. "So I can come?"

He gestured to Natasha. "Ask your mother."

She looked toward Natasha expectantly. "Please, may I go?"

Natasha looked hesitant. "I don't know... it's a mental hospital. You don't do well with things like that. And there's a lot of superpowered people there who could injure you quite badly."

"I won't go off on my own, I'll stay with someone the whole time! I'll be careful, I promise! Please?"

"I can keep an eye on her, Red. I won't let her out of my sight," Tony offered.

Nat sighed. "Fine."

Lia smiled widely and leaned over the back of the couch to hug her mother. "Thank you, _Mamochka_. I'll be safe, I promise."

"You get out of there the minute you start feeling anxious, you understand?" Natasha said softly but sternly.

Lia nodded. "I understand."

Steve raised his hand. "I'll go."

"Me too," Pietro spoke up.

"Alright then!" Tony clapped his hands. "Everybody suit up and grab your gear! The helicopter is leaving in 10 minutes and I'd prefer to be on it when it does."

**A/N: Okay, so I figured out the upload schedule. I'm (tentatively) naming Friday my upload day, mainly because it makes the most sense for me logistically. Like I said before, life is crazy, so don't hate me if I'm a day or two late, but just know that I am very determined to finish this story. I have most of it planned out already and I'm really quite excited about it. How are you guys liking it?**

**Don't forget to check out my Tumblr, Ella's Writing Desk. I post new content all the time over there. I already have little snippets with Peter and Lia posted. Link is in my profile!**

**\- Ella**


	3. Chapter 2

Lia bounded to her room, pumping her fist in the air as soon as she was out of sight. She was going on a mission!

When she got to her room, she went straight for her bedside drawer and pulled out an identical pair of silvery armbands, snapping them onto her wrists. She tapped them together thrice and watched gleefully as the metal began to run up her arms and down the rest of her body.

When Lia expressed her desire to go on more serious missions, Tony (being the overprotective pseudo-uncle he was) decided she needed adequate protection before they even considered letting her tag along. Lia objected, saying she didn't want to look like a miniature Iron Man, to which Tony countered with the fact that he could make her something that would protect her like armor but would look completely different. After many long hours of design work, trial and error, and way too much coffee, they ended up with what Lia termed her 'super suit'. It looked quite similar to what Natasha wore on missions, except hers was navy blue instead of black. Tony designed the suit to fit inside of a pair of silver armbands that could easily be worn anywhere she went without detection. All she had to do was tap them together three times (Tony called it the 'Wizard of Oz' protocol) and the suit would envelop her body within a minute. It was bulletproof, waterproof, resistant to electricity, and incredibly flexible. Lia loved it. Peter was quite jealous of how fast she was able to change, something she teased him about frequently. She hadn't had a chance to use it on a mission yet.

Once her suit was complete, she grabbed a hair tie and pulled her long hair back into a lengthy braid. She looked in the mirror and grinned. Peter would be in for a treat when he came over that night. She'd have quite the story to tell.

Tony was waiting for her at the hangar entrance. He grinned as she ran up to him.

"You ready to rock and roll, Tesla?"

"Born ready."

He chuckled, walking with her toward the soon-to-be-occupied helipad. "Eager are we?"

She nodded excitedly. "I haven't been on a mission in ages."

"How's the suit treating you?"

"It's perfect. I love it."

"It definitely suits you."

Lia rolled her eyes. "Really?"

He smirked. "I had to do it. You look like a real superhero now. Wait until the media catches wind of you, Downpour. They'll be all over you."

"You think so?"

He nodded. "All joking aside, I do need to talk to you about something. There's a reason I want you on this mission."

Lia raised an eyebrow, looking at him expectantly.

"The guy that we're after, the one who started this whole shebang? His name is Maxwell Dillon, otherwise known as Electro. He can manipulate electricity and electromagnetic wavelengths. His main weakness, however, is water. And it just so happens that I know someone who can make it rain indoors at will."

Lia could hear the whirring of helicopter blades growing louder by the second. She turned and watched as an unmarked black helicopter landed neatly on the helipad.

Pietro ran up to her and grinned as he turned to watch Steve jog to catch up.

"Are you ready _sestrichka_?" he asked, turning back to her.

She smiled at him and nodded, grabbing his hand and all but dragging him toward the copter.

Steve caught up to Tony and watched the pair board the helicopter, giggling like little kids. The side of his mouth quirked up.

"Refreshing, isn't it?" Tony asked. "Seeing somebody actually get excited about a mission for once."

"Yeah," Steve agreed. "I wish I saw things the way they do. They see missions as this grand adventure. All I see is a job that needs to be done."

"That's because you're old, Capsicle. Hey, I am too!" he added, seeing Steve's unamused expression. "Both of us, we've been doing this too long. But that's why those two are important." He pointed at the pair in the copter. "We've gotta train the next generation so they can keep things running when we eventually tap out."

Steve nodded.

"Steve! Tony! Let's go! SHIELD is waiting for us!" Lia called over to them.

"We're coming, Tesla!" Tony called back. He shook his head fondly, walking over to the copter with Steve. "Kids these days. They have no patience."

ooOOoo

After a short helicopter ride (too short, according to Lia) the four Avengers stood in front of the Ravenscroft Institute for the Criminally Insane. It was a large, imposing building, surrounded by a thick cement wall several yards high. The wall itself was surrounded almost entirely by police vehicles and unmarked black cars.

A tall, fair-skinned man in a SHIELD uniform made his way toward the four of them.

"Captain America, Iron Man, Quicksilver, Downpour." He nodded his head towards them.

Steve stuck out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Agent..."

"Agent Walker." He shook Steve's hand before pointing at the institute.

"The cops have this place surrounded. We've got agents on standby waiting to assist as soon as you've neutralized the main threat. All you've gotta do is say the word."

Tony nodded. "Will do." He turned to the other three. "All right, here's the plan. Spangles, Roadrunner, you're the first wave. You go in first and clear the way. Tesla and I are gonna locate the main threat. She's the only one out of the four of us who can safely neutralize it. Keep in contact, don't split up. There are a lot of possible threats inside this building, so keep your guard up."

Pietro nodded. "Try to keep up old man," he smirked.

Steve opened his mouth to retort, but Pietro was already gone. He just sighed and started jogging toward the building's entrance.

Tony turned to Lia. "Kay, ground rules. One, you stick with me. No running off. Two, you listen. If I say run outside, you run outside. And three, talk to me. If you start feeling spazzy, you say something. You do not keep it to yourself. You got it?"

"Yup. Can we go in now?"

He just chuckled. "Yeah, we can go in. Remember though, this is serious business."

"I know, I know."

They walked toward the front entrance, where a SHIELD agent was waiting to let them inside.

"Hey Tony, resident intel says the main threat is headed for one of the upper levels," Steve said through the comlink.

"Copy that. Downpour and I are headed there now."

And with that, they walked inside.

ooOOoo

The minute they entered, Lia could tell that something was very off.

There was just something about empty places that were normally packed to the gills that seemed to bend reality a bit. They were walking through the cafeteria, a place that should be teeming with people, staff and patients alike. Now, it was completely empty. Chairs were overturned, lunch trays were strewn about, napkins and plastic cutlery were scattered all over the floor. It made the place feel abandoned, even though there was a battle raging just upstairs.

Lia blinked a few times, taking it all in. There was a sort of strange aura surrounding the area. It was almost as if she could feel reality altering the closer she got to the second-level stairs. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

"You okay, kid?" Tony asked, noticing how quiet she'd gone.

All she could do was nod.

As jogged up the stairs to the second level, Lia could hear the sounds of combat getting louder. There were shouts and screams.

Tony took a few steps ahead of her. "Stay close, Tesla. I'm gonna check ahead."

They were walking past patient rooms now, mostly unoccupied. Lia was really starting to feel unnatural now. Something wasn't right...

_**BANG!**_

Lia jumped and whirled around, arms up in a fighting stance. One of the patients was glaring at her through the small window on the door of his room. He banged his fist on the glass once more, making her jump again.

She turned around to continue along and stopped short.

Tony wasn't there anymore.

She blinked. Maybe he just decided to go ahead without her?

"Tony?"

There was no reply. She pressed a finger to her ear.

"Steve? Pietro?"

Still nothing.

Lia cautiously made her way forward again, glancing briefly at every door she passed. She was hoping for no more surprises, but something deep down inside was telling her that the universe wasn't through with her yet. That strange, unearthly feeling that she'd had this whole time had increased tenfold, making the entire debacle feel like some sort of bad acid trip.

This whole thing felt familiar somehow, like she'd done this all before at some point. Her careful walk soon turned into a jog, which then turned into a run. She wanted out, and she wanted out _now._

Her foot caught on something, shifting her balance enough that she fell to the floor. Something was after her, _something was after her-_

And then there was a hand on her shoulder, startling her out of whatever trance she seemed to be in.

"Are you alright, miss?"

Lia turned and saw a vaguely familiar SHIELD agent kneeling next to her.

She blinked a few times, then, after shaking her head a few times, replied, "Yeah. I think I dissociated for a bit there."

The agent seemed unaffected by this statement. "I was sent to find you and tell you that the main threat has ascended to the third floor. Your teammates are waiting for you there."

Lia nodded. "Thank you, agent..."

"Walker," he provided.

She took a deep breath before climbing to her feet. She squared her shoulders and took off once more, back to the stairwell to climb one story higher.

If she had only seen the way the agent smiled to himself after she left. She would have known then that something was very, very wrong.

ooOOoo

Tony was pacing back and forth, anxiously awaiting answers.

"Has anyone seen Lia?" he asked again. "I lost her on the second floor. I've searched the entire floor and I can't find her anywhere. She's not responding on her comlink."

After a minute or so, Tony heard Steve in his ear.

_"She's not with us, Tony. We thought she was with you. We've subdued the rest of the rogue patients. We can come help you look if you like, but Electro is only getting stronger. We need to hurry."_

"That's just it," Tony replied frustratedly. "He's not here on the second floor. I assume you haven't seen him on the first floor either?"

_"Nope. Just frantic staff members and the aforementioned rogue patients."_

"Well then where is he? Quicksilver, didn't you already search the third floor?"

_"Yeah, I searched it. There was no one there. Completely abandoned."_ Pietro sounded out of breath.

A lightbulb went off in Tony's head.

"What if this is a trap?"

The footsteps coming from Steve's end stopped abruptly. _"What do you mean, Tony?"_

"We were told that there was a threat that needed to be neutralized. Electro can manipulate electricity. Naturally, we would want to bring someone with the ability to take him down. And what is electricity's natural enemy?"

_"Water."_ The puzzle pieces were obviously starting to connect in Steve's head.

"And who do we know that can create rain at a moments notice?"

_"Lia..."_ Pietro's voice was a horrified whisper.

_"Pietro, go search the third floor again. Tony, you search the second. I'll search the first. She has to be-"_

A loud explosion reverberated around Tony, cutting off the rest of Steve's remark. The floor shook beneath his feet, the walls quivering with the impact. Several windows shattered, throwing glass out of the building and onto the crowd below. Ahead of him, he saw the ceiling collapse, spraying concrete and linoleum in every conceivable direction. His helmet lowered automatically, protecting his face from the seemingly never-ending rainshower of debris.

Once the dust had settled, Tony gathered his bearings.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., scan the debris for life signs."

_"Scanning..."_

_"Tony? Do you copy?"_

"Yeah, I copy Steve."

_"What was that?"_

"Some kind of explosion. The ceiling just collapsed in front of me."

F.R.I.D.A.Y. made a sort of 'ding' noise, as if trying to get her owner's attention.

_"I've detected a set of vital signs amongst the rubble."_

His heart dropped. "What kind?"

Looking back, Tony swore he'd heard F.R.I.D.A.Y. hesitate before answering his question the worst way possible.

_"Sir, they belong to Downpour."_

**A/N: Hey, would you look at that! I actually made my own deadline! Yay me! Actually, yay my sister for bugging me until I decided to stop procrastinating. Cause I do that. A LOT. She also gave me a lot of ideas for this chapter, so I probably owe her more than a shoutout. Oh well.**

**The next chapter is already written, so look for it next Friday! Feel free to comment to let me know what you think or tell me what you want to see next! And don't forget to check out my Tumblr, Ella's Writing Desk. Link is in my bio. I'll see you next Friday!**

**-Ella**


	4. Chapter 3

**Note: the word "Amme" is German for "wet nurse".**

Once she comes to, her body is no longer her own.

She is sitting patiently on an examination table, waiting, still as a statue. She mustn't make noise. Noise is a nuisance, and nuisances will not be tolerated. At least, that's what her Amme says.

There is a large mirror that takes up most of one wall in the room. She can see herself in it: a small, pale little girl, no older than seven. She knows it's not really a mirror; it's actually a window so other people can see inside. She wonders if there are people sitting outside the room watching her right now.

Her Amme, a stout, imposing woman, is sitting stiffly in a chair next to the examination table, clearly in an irritable mood. She huffs quietly and glances at her watch every few minutes.

The door to the room opens, revealing a tall, bespectacled man in an impeccably white coat. He's shuffling through a large stack of papers as he walks in, making sure to lock the door behind him. His shoes echo vociferously with every step he takes. He smiles sickly and peers over his frames at the young girl on the table.

_"Guten tag, Dreizehn."_

_"Guten tag, Doktor Pohl."_

He looks her over, nodding to show his approval, and turns to her Amme.

"How is she progressing, Frau Werner?" he asks in clear, crisp German.

"As expected, Doktor," she replies, her voice rough and annoyed.

"Her abilities?" he continues, gathering the tools he requires from various cabinets and drawers.

"Increasing in intensity. She still lacks the skills necessary to control them, though." Frau Werner gives the young girl a dirty look.

"Well, we'll have to work on that some more, won't we?" he asks.

The small girl nods solemnly.

"_Wunderbar._ Now, open."

The rest of the exam continues like normal: eyes, ears, throat, reflexes, and the like.

"Now _Dreizehn_, I need some blood," Doctor Pohl says in a calm but firm tone.

The little girl tentatively holds her arm out, trying hard to control her shaking; she hates this part.

"Are we going to have any problems this time?" he asks her.

She shakes her head vigorously. No. No powers this time. She can control it. She can control it...

She feels the needle enter her arm and flinches, holding back the urge to cry. Crying shows weakness and weakness is not tolerated. She can feel the energy prickling at the end of her fingertips, signaling that she is losing her battle for control.

And then it's over, the needle is gone, the procedure is done. Doctor Pohl tapes a cotton ball over her arm without a word.

"That will be all, _Dreizehn_. I'll see you in two weeks, unless you misbehave. Are we going to have a problem this week?"

She shakes her head.

"Very good. Now, Frau Werner-"

There is a loud explosion outside of the exam room, cutting off Doctor Pohl's remark. A nervous-looking scientist pokes his head through the door.

"Doktor Pohl! Frau Werner! There's been an accident in the genetics lab!"

Doctor Pohl curses loudly. "Those fools! Frau Werner, with me! _Dreizehn_, stay here! Don't move, or you'll be punished!"

She nods obediently and observes as they all but fly out the door. She often wonders about the genetics lab and what goes on inside. She once asked her Amme about it, but she was simply told not to ask questions.

Her eyes fall on the stack of papers sitting neatly on Doctor Pohl's desk. She can clearly see a very familiar file folder mixed in amongst the various lab results and progress reports.

Her file.

She only knows that it's hers because of a single conversation she'd had a few years ago with the good doctor. He was nicer then, kinder, and he allowed her to ask questions about the things that made her curious. Curiosity was a sign of intelligence, he'd told her, and intelligence was praised. She'd asked him why he always carried that thick green file with him, and he'd replied that it was her file and that she was never to look inside of it, and did she understand?

Of course she understands. For even though the good doctor is kind to her at times, a switch can flip in his mind and turn him into the cruelest of caretakers at any moment. She learned very early on to always obey him, even when the things he asked for seemed too horrific for words, for the punishments he enacts seem worse than death itself.

Now, at the tender age of seven, her expectations are much stricter. Do not ask questions. Do not resist. Curiosity is a grievous sin. Obey, no matter the order. And she did, for she knew no better.

Until now.

The file is right there, close enough to reach out and touch. The temptation is overwhelming. She thinks of the punishment she would receive for simply brushing her fingers against the folder and shudders. Still, curiosity is causing her very bones to ache with longing. She knows well of the mirror that is not really a mirror and knows that someone could be watching her even at this very moment. However, she also knows that, due to her strict obedience, her Amme leaves her to her own devices more often than not. There is a certain amount of trust allotted to her, trust that she won't step out of line. And she has been very careful not to break that trust.

In truth, she is incredibly intelligent, more so than HYDRA thinks. She realized quite early on that if she wanted answers, she would have to get them herself. So she's made it a habit to observe everything around her, listen in whenever possible, and always pay attention to her surroundings.

She is manipulating them, and they don't even know it.

The shouting has still yet to cease, and in fact, has grown louder. The accident must be quite serious. That means it will likely be a while before anyone returns to collect her...

She glances around the room, her eyes landing on the light switch. Should she risk it? Is the risk worth the reward?

Decision made, she slips off the metal table and stealthily makes her way toward the switch, flicking it off.

Now that the bright lights of the exam room are out, the mirror becomes a window, allowing her to see into the hallway outside. It's empty, just as she expected. She creeps back to the desk and pulls the green folder from the pile, noting which documents it's between so she can replace it exactly when she is finished. She sits near the window so that the dim light streaming in can illuminate the contents, and flips the folder open.

Immediately, she sees the paper that Doctor Pohl has been making notes on during her examination. Flipping past it, she sees similar pages from past exams detailing the progress she's made over the years. She sees photos of herself at different ages; a baby, a young toddler, a little girl, and one that was taken only a few weeks ago. There are detailed reports on her abilities and her control over them, blood test results, IQ test scores... more than she can ever read in one sitting. Finally, in the very back, there is a single piece of paper. It's wrinkled and one of the corners is dog-eared. Someone evidently has come back to reread this multiple times.

_Subject #13_

_Gender: Female_

_Birth weight: 7 lb 8 oz_

_Height: 12 in._

_Genetic Lineage: AF Subjects #19 and #24_

_Attempted Genetic Traits: Atmospheric and temperature manipulation, enhanced intelligence_

_Results: Further testing required_

She stares at the fifth line, pondering the meaning behind it. Genetic lineage? What does that mean?

She realizes quite suddenly that the hallway outside is now silent. Quickly, she shuts the file and stands up, tiptoes over to the document pile, and places it back neatly in its place. She flips the switch on again and goes back to the exam table, sitting in the exact same position as before.

It is another ten minutes before her Amme comes to retrieve her, but she doesn't care. She has quite a bit to think about, after all.

"Amme," she begins, following behind her down the long stretch of hallway, "what is a genetic lineage?"

Her Amme raises an eyebrow. "A genetic lineage? Where did you hear that phrase?"

Luckily, she already has an excuse for this question.

"I heard one of the scientists talking about manipulating them. What is a genetic lineage?"

"A genetic lineage is a line you can trace backward to find where you got different parts of your genetic makeup. And don't ask questions."

She thinks about that for a moment. She knows that everybody comes from a mom and a dad and that moms and dads have their own moms and dads, and so on. Her Amme told her that her mom and dad didn't want her, so they gave her to HYDRA as a baby. She thinks about that a lot. Why didn't they want her? Was she not good enough for them?

But this new information... AF subjects #19 and #24... what does that mean? If her genetic lineage comes from those two numbers, that means she got her genes from them, and the only people you can get genes from are your parents, as far as she knows. And what does AF stand for?

"_Dreizehn!_ Can you hear me? Listen to me!"

Her head snaps up. The words are coming from her Amme's mouth but they don't sound like her at all. There is a sort of shimmer around the angry woman in front of her, like heat waves coming off of hot asphalt. The shimmer waves are beginning to expand outward until the entire room is shifting around her and under her feet. The colors are mixing, the walls and furniture shifting, until everything fades away to darkness once more, leaving her alone with her thoughts and the sound of a very familiar voice...

**A/N: Ooh, who could that voice be? Any guesses? Tune in next week to find out!**

**-Ella**


	5. Chapter 4

**Note: This chapter contains quite a bit of German. I've tried to add enough context clues so that you (the reader) will understand what's going on. I've included a full translation at the end of the chapter. Happy reading!**

Peter sat in a chair next to Lia's hospital bed, watching her heart rate monitor beeping rhythmically. Her right arm was in a cast, the rest of her limbs covered in gauze and bandages. Her face was scraped up and bruised, and she had a nice goose egg on her forehead. She seemed to be conscious to a degree, just acting... strange. Her eyes were closed, but she was mumbling something in a strange language that Peter didn't understand. He could see her eyes moving under her eyelids. Maybe it was some sort of fever dream?

"She's been like that for the last hour," Tony said as he walked into the room. Peter turned to look at him. "Nobody can understand a word she's saying. F.R.I.D.A.Y. IDed it as German but Tesla's talking so quietly that F.R.I.D.A.Y. isn't even registering that she's speaking. Elsa is on his way down right now. Apparently, he's fluent."

"Why isn't she responding to us?" Peter asked.

Tony just shrugged. "The doctors are running some tests. Hopefully, we'll find out soon enough."

Lia stopped talking rather abruptly, prompting them to look up at her. She was blinking rapidly, a confused expression on her face. She glanced up at Peter, her eyes scrunching up.

"Peter?"

Peter smiled at her.

"It's about time, kiddo," Tony said behind him. "You had us worried."

She frowned. "What?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean what? You didn't hear me the first time?"

Lia didn't seem to comprehend what he was saying. "What... no... can't..."

Tony was getting concerned now. "Kid? Lia, you okay?"

Bucky walked into the hospital room at that moment, taking in the odd scene.

"You said you needed a German translator?" Bucky asked hesitantly.

"Not anymore," Tony told him. "She was talking in German and was unresponsive up until a minute ago. Now I'm talking to her in English and she doesn't seem to understand a word I'm saying."

Bucky bypassed Tony and Peter and went over to Lia.

_"Was ist Los?"_

She looked up at him, somewhat surprised. _"Ich Kann Tony nicht verstehen."_

"She doesn't understand what you're saying, Tony," Bucky translated.

"What? How can she not understand what I'm saying? I'm speaking English. She was saying something in English just a minute ago. She knows English, does she not?"

Lia looked upset. _"Habe ich etwas falsch gemacht?"_

_"Nein, dir geht es gut. Keine Sorge. Wir Werden das herausfinden,"_ Bucky assured her. He glared at Tony. "Calm down, Tony. You're freaking her out."

"Am I interrupting something?"

Everyone turned to watch as a young woman with blonde hair in doctors' scrubs and a lab coat strode confidently into the room. She stuck out her hand to Tony. "My name is Dr. Maxfield. I'm in charge of the neurology department here."

"Oh, thank goodness. Maybe you can help us figure this out," Tony said. "Lia suddenly doesn't understand English."

"No!" Lia said loudly, then frowned. "Can't..." She groaned in frustration and turned to Bucky. _"Ich verstehe nicht! Was stimmt mit mir nicht?"_

Dr. Maxfield raised an eyebrow. "This is certainly abnormal. It's not entirely uncommon for cognitive issues to surface after a TBI, but this is definitely not a common issue."

"TBI?" Peter asked.

"TBI stands for traumatic brain injury," she explained. Seeing Peter's shocked face, she added, "It's not necessarily as bad as it sounds. It can be serious, but Lia's isn't as bad as it could be. She has a moderate concussion."

"And that's why she can't understand English anymore?"

"No," Lia said indignantly, glaring at him.

"Not exactly," Dr. Maxfield replied, looking at Lia. "It looks like she can understand some English, but she's having trouble speaking it. How is her German?"

"Not pristine, but pretty good nonetheless," Bucky replied.

"Hmm... under normal circumstances I would call this aphasia, but this case is anything but normal. Let's try and figure this out. Mr. Barnes, would you mind translating a few questions for me?"

Bucky nodded his assent.

"Wonderful. Ask her if she remembers what happened to her, please."

Bucky relayed the doctor's question and waited patiently for an answer.

Lia nodded enthusiastically. _"Ich ging eine meiner Erinnerungen von HYDRA durch." _

Bucky raised an eyebrow. _"Du machtest?" _

She nodded and proceeded to tell him all about what she had experienced.

"She, in her own words, 'walked through one of her memories'," Bucky said once she was finished, "from when she was younger and still in HYDRA captivity."

Dr. Maxfield nodded. "She had a flashback. That's happened to her before. It's quite common with PTSD patients. This one was much more... potent, if that makes any sense. It lasted much longer than her flashbacks normally do. A lot of her memories are fragmented as well, so she only has parts of them. Sometimes flashbacks can complete a fragmented memory. Ask her if she already had this memory or if it's a new one."

Bucky translated to Lia, who nodded at him.

"New," she replied proudly.

Doctor Maxfield smiled encouragingly at her and gave her a thumbs up. "It seems to me that, through a combination of her PTSD history, her multiple brainwashings, and, most recently, her head injury, her poor brain's been a bit scrambled. PTSD and TBIs react differently in the presence of each other. As the concussion heals, she should regain her ability to speak English. We'll need to keep an eye on these flashbacks, though. For now, let her rest. She probably has a headache, and if she doesn't she will soon. Give her Tylenol, no Ibuprofen. She shouldn't be alone for the first few days, and you'll need to wake her up every few hours to make sure she can still be awakened. Normally a person with this serious of a head injury would have to stay in the hospital for a while, but since she's literally two floors away from one I think she'll be okay to stay here overnight and then head upstairs tomorrow so she can sleep in her own bed. Just keep an eye on her and page me if you have any questions or concerns."

Tony nodded. "Thank you."

She smiled and turned to leave.

"Alright, so who wants the first shift?" Bucky asked as she walked out the door.

Peter raised his hand. "I'll stay with her."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "You sure? According to the doctor, you're not going to be able to understand her for a while."

Peter nodded. "It's cool. Kar- um, the AI in my Spiderman suit can translate for her and I. Or F.R.I.D.A.Y. can. And if that fails, there's always Google Translate."

Bucky considered that for a minute, then nodded. "Okay then. Keep in mind, there's a lot of stuff you're not supposed to do when you have a concussion-"

"Yeah, it's okay, I know all about that. I've had a concussion before, I know the drill. And if I'm not sure about something I can just ask one of the doctors here, or, you know, WebMD it."

"Sounds like Charlotte's Web has things under control," Tony said, patting Bucky on the shoulder. He glanced over at Peter. "We'll leave you be, kid. Holler if you need anything."

Peter nodded and turned back to Lia. She looked confused.

He pulled his backpack over from where he'd left it next to the door and pulled out his Spiderman mask, slipping it over his head.

_'Hello, Peter."_

"Hey, Karen. Listen, can you talk to people outside of my mask or are you just on the inside?"

_"There are speakers built into your suit, Peter. I can project my voice through them."_

"No, not with the suit. Is there any way you can just speak through the mask?"

_"I can connect to a speaker via Bluetooth, if you like."_

"Yeah, that would be perfect! Are there any speakers in the area?"

_"Tony Stark has Bluetooth speakers installed in every room of the Avengers Compound to facilitate maximum area for his AI F.R.I.D.A.Y. to work. Would you like me to connect to the speakers in here?"_

"That would be great, thank you."

_"How's this?"_ Karen's voice echoed lightly throughout the room.

"Perfect." Peter pulled the mask off of his head, making his hair frizz up a bit. "Karen, can you translate my words to German and Lia's to English?"

_"Of course. Speak when ready."_

"Thank you, Karen."

_"Danke, Karen."_

Peter got a tad flustered. "No, I didn't mean for you to translate that."

_"Nein, ich wollte nicht, dass du das übersetzst."_

Peter facepalmed.

Lia giggled. "Gut zu wissen, dass sich nichts geändert hat."

_"Good to know that nothing has changed,"_ Karen translated.

Peter chuckled. "Good to know your personality is still intact," he retorted playfully.

Lia giggled even louder after Karen translated.

"Does your head hurt at all?" Peter asked.

She shrugged.

"Do you want me to ask one of the doctors to bring you some pain meds?"

Lia nodded.

"Okay. I'll be right back."

Lia pondered the meaning behind her flashback as Peter left the room. There was something significant about it, though she wasn't sure what. She wondered why she hadn't been able to recall that particular memory until now. And there was a phrase somewhere in there, a very important one. What was it again?

She grimaced, feeling the pain in her head increase slightly. Right, the concussion. She wasn't supposed to do anything that would strain her brain until it healed. She read up on all that when Peter got his concussion a while back (from butchering a backflip off of some monkey bars, ironically). No television, video games, reading... what was she supposed to do until this darn thing healed?

Peter's voice brought her out of her mini-trance. She watched him form English words with ease and sighed internally. It was strange, waking up and suddenly being unable to understand a person like you used to.

_"I told the doctors your head was hurting and they said to give you this,"_ Karen said in German.

"Danke," she replied, taking the pill cup and glass of water.

"So I know there isn't a lot of stuff you can do while you have a concussion," Peter began. "But I remember you reading to me a lot when I had mine, so I thought now I could return the favor and read to you?"

Lia smiled fondly at him and nodded._ Bless his heart, he's so sweet._

Peter smiled back and rummaged around in his backpack, eventually pulling out a crumpled piece of paper. He handed it to her.

"That's Midtown's summer reading list," he said after a moment, realizing she couldn't read it. "I figure, we pick a book off of this list, we kill two birds with one stone, right?"

She nodded in agreement and began scanning the list, trying to pick out any words she recognized. Her eyes landed on a one-word title: Odyssey. She pointed at that one.

Peter leaned over to see what one she was pointing at and nodded in approval. "The Odyssey. Nice. Have you ever read that one?"

_"No, but I've heard of it. It's Greek, right?"_

"Yeah, it is. It's about a Greek soldier named Odysseus and his journey home to his wife after going to war for a long time. It's pretty good. I could probably pick it up at the library and bring it by tomorrow."

Lia shook her head. _"Buy the eBook off Amazon. I know Tony's password."_

Peter's eyes widened. "You do? How?"

_"Pietro gave it to me. He never told me where he got it."_

"Huh."

He got out his phone and pulled up Amazon before passing the phone over to Lia. She just smiled dryly.

_"The password is in English with a lot of numbers and symbols and stuff. I don't think Karen can translate it. But I wrote it down in my phone."_

"Well, where's your phone?"

_"Upstairs. Bedroom. First drawer in my nightstand. Ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to tell Pietro to bring it and we'll have it in less than a minute."_

Peter nodded. "Hey F.R.I.D.A.Y., can you ask Pietro to bring us Lia's phone?"

_"Of course, Mr. Parker. One moment please."_

About ten seconds later, Lia's phone was in Peter's hands. Pietro gave Lia a sort of crooked smile.

"I'm glad you are alright, _sestrichka_."

_"I'm glad you are alright, little sister,"_ Karen translated.

Lia grinned at him. "Ich liebe dich auch, älterer Bruder."

_"I love you too, older brother."_

Pietro sped off, bumping into (and apologizing to) a male nurse walking down the hall, leaving the two teens alone once more.

"What's your password?" Peter asked.

Lia pointed at his backpack. "Pencil?" she asked in English.

"So you do know some words," he said, impressed. He handed her a pencil and watched as she wrote down a series of numbers on the back of the reading list: 032117. His brow furrowed.

"Do those numbers stand for something?"

She nodded, smiling softly._ "It's the day I met you, you dork. Check my notes app."_

He chuckled and shook his head fondly, typing in her password and pulling up the aforementioned app.

He bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Tony's Amazon password is R1ch3rThAnU?"

She just grinned.

"Alright, let's find this book..."

Lia sighed contently. Maybe having a concussion wouldn't be so bad after all.

**German Translation: **

**1\. What's wrong?**

**2\. I can't understand Tony.**

**3\. Did I do something wrong?**

**4\. No, you're fine. Don't worry. we'll figure this out.**

**5\. I don't understand! What's wrong with me?**

**6\. I walked through one of my memories from HYDRA.**

**7\. You did?**

**Thanks for reading, and don't forget to check out my blog, Ella's Writing Desk. Link is in my profile. Have a great weekend!**


	6. Chapter 5

After a single night in the medical wing, Lia was discharged with strict instructions not to overexert herself. Needless to say, she was removed from the current team roster until further notice.

Natasha talked to her for a while that first day (in Russian, to check her language retention) about the mission and what had gone wrong. Lia told her everything, from her dissociation episode to the moment the floor collapsed beneath her. Natasha relayed everything to Agent Hill, especially the part about the SHIELD agent named Walker who told Lia to go to the third floor. Maria promised she'd look into it and get back to her.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Avengers were doing their very best to keep Lia entertained. They found the best way to keep her happy was to tell her stories (via F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s translation software), especially stories about themselves. Steve and Bucky became frequent visitors, telling her all about their time in the army and the things they did as children in the forties. Pietro also talked to her quite often, except the stories he told were made up out of his own mind or some sort of Sokovian folklore. He confided in her that he used to tell the same stories to Wanda when they were both children.

Peter kept his promise and came to visit every day to read the Odyssey with her. He often had to stop and explain what exactly was happening, but she understood the basic premise. Finally, after a week of reading, they were nearing the end of the story. Although she had enjoyed it, Lia would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved that it was almost over.

Peter was reading aloud the part of the story where Odysseus confronted the many suitors that had been plaguing his wife.

"Not for the whole treasures of your fathers,

All you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold

put up by others, would I hold my hand.

There will be killing till the score is paid..."

_There will be killing till the score is paid..._

"You see, _Dreizehn_, the destruction that the storm causes? You will be even more powerful than it in time."

A young girl, no more than four, sits in front of a computer monitor, watching, more curious than afraid as Hurricane Katrina ravages New Orleans.

Dr. Pohl watches her face change from curiosity to concern. She turns to him.

"The storm is hurting those people."

He nods, adjusting the green file folder in his hands. "Yes."

"Will they be okay?"

"Some will be. A great many will perish. That is life. Soon you will be strong enough to cause events such as this, but on a global scale. The world will bow before us."

She's silent for a moment, eyes trained on the screen. She points at it.

"I can do this?"

"In time. You will learn."

"Why?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Why what?"

"Why do you want me to do this? Won't it hurt more people?"

Dr. Pohl nods. "Yes, it will. But that is why we will do it. These people have wronged us, scorned us. They must be punished. Every last one of them."

"But why?"

"Because, _Dreizehn_. It's the only way. We are meant to rule the planet. They just don't know it yet. And in order to rule effectively, we need to eliminate all those that oppose us. They've suppressed us, demeaned us. They must pay for their opposition, with their lives." He chuckles. The great poet Homer certainly said it best..."

_"...There will be killing till the score is paid..."_

Lia jumped when Peter touched her shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, concerned.

She just stared at him for a moment.

"Did you have another flashback?"

Lia was too lost in her own thoughts to respond. That green file that Dr. Pohl was holding...

Her file.

_Her file._

And then it clicked. That little itch at the edge of her mind had finally been scratched.

_AF subjects #19 and #24._

"What was that?" Peter was getting worried now.

Lia was murmuring that phrase over and over, in English.

"AF subjects number nineteen and number twenty-four, AF subjects number nineteen and number twenty-four, AF subjects number nineteen and number twenty-four..."

"Lia, what are you saying? What does that mean?"

Lia finally made eye contact with Peter. "Don't know..."

Peter's eyes widened. "You're speaking in English. Can you understand me now?"

Lia waited for F.R.I.D.A.Y. to translate before answering. "Uh... little bit?"

"That's good! You're getting better! We should tell the others!"

"No," she said forcefully. "Tony."

"Tony? What about Tony?"

She was getting frustrated. "Go! Tony!"

A lightbulb went off in Peter's head. "Oh! You want me to go get Tony?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes!"

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., would you mind asking Tony to come upstairs to Lia's room, please?" Peter asked politely. "She's asking for him."

_"Of course, Mr. Parker. One moment, please."_

"Why do you want to talk to Tony?" Peter continued.

Lia was having a hard time figuring out what she wanted to say. Her thoughts were a mixture of German and English and she wasn't fully understanding either of them at the moment. It seemed like every time she had a flashback, her brain got even more scrambled. This made her even more frustrated. What next? At this point, she could start speaking Portuguese and it wouldn't even phase her.

She groaned loudly, her frustration beginning to give way to anger.

Peter noticed her room getting darker and frowned, looking up at the lights. He was surprised to see dark clouds forming, covering almost the entire ceiling. It had been a long, long time since Lia had lost control of her powers like this. Maybe it was harder to keep them in check when her brain was all jumbled?

Peter decided he probably ought to try calming her down before it started hailing or something crazy like that.

"Hey, hey! Lia, can you understand me right now?"

Lia wasn't really paying attention to him. She seemed too preoccupied. Peter sighed and realized he was going to have to try and do this without words.

He took her hand, grabbing her attention. She looked up at him, her face full of exasperation. He noticed her eyes held a different emotion, though.

Fear.

He smiled and pointed up at the ceiling. She glanced upward and immediately sunk deeper into her bed, embarrassed.

He tapped her hand with his finger to get her to look up at him again, the point to himself and pats the spot next to her on her bed, asking permission to sit.

She nodded and moved over a tad so he would have room to sit next to her. He put his arm around her, listening to her sigh as he moved his hand up and down her arm. He felt her lean into him and smiled a bit to himself. It seemed to be working.

"Did you call me up here just so I could watch you cuddle with Tesla or do you actually need me?"

Peter looked to Lia's now-open door to see Tony watching them, an amused look on his face.

Lia, seeing Tony, immediately sat up straight.

"AF subjects number nineteen and number twenty-four," she exclaimed. She leaned back against Peter again, looking rather proud of herself.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Okay, and that means?"

Peter shrugged. "I'm just as confused as you. She zoned out for a bit while I was reading and then she just started saying that phrase over and over. I think she had another flashback."

"Have you asked her what it means?"

"No. She said a few words in English and acted like she understood what I was saying but now she's having trouble with English and German. I'm not really sure what's going on."

"Tony," Lia said, getting his attention. "AF subjects number nineteen and number twenty-four." She tapped her fingers rhythmically on her lap, almost like typing on a keyboard.

"I think she's trying to tell you to look it up on a computer," Peter said.

"Where?" Tony asked. "Google? I don't know what she thinks I'm gonna find on there."

"No!" she said loudly. Both of them turned to look at her.

She stood up off of her bed and went over to her desk, rummaging around inside the drawers until she found a piece of paper and a pencil. Then, she began to draw.

Tony and Peter stood behind her and watched her drawing take shape. It wasn't long before they realized what she was drawing.

Peter blinked. "Is that..."

"The HYDRA emblem," Tony said.

Lia pointed to her drawing, then made the typing motion once more. "AF subjects number nineteen and number twenty-four!"

"Is it the name of some sort of HYDRA file?" Peter wondered aloud.

"File!" she exclaimed, then nodded. "File."

"Huh," Peter replied. "Guess we need to hack into the HYDRA database."

"It's not exactly that simple, though," Tony objected. "HYDRA has some of the heaviest, most complicated encryption software known to man. Even with my advanced decryption software, it would take ages to hack into. And even if we could get in, there are millions upon millions of files in their network. It would take literal years to find what we'd be looking for, especially if it's as nondescript as that phrase."

"You say this like you've hacked into HYDRA before," Peter commented, raising an eyebrow.

"I haven't," Tony said, "but SHIELD has. Once. They managed to break through the firewall long enough to grab some relevant data regarding one of Tesla's former handlers, He Who Must Not Be Named. After they figured out that we'd gotten through, they quintupled their cybersecurity. Now it's nearly impossible to get in."

Peter thought about that for a moment. "What if we found somebody to hack into it for us? Could a human get through it faster than a software program?"

Tony exhaled. "They'd have to be pretty skilled with a computer. Why, do you have someone in mind?"

A confident grin slowly grew on Peter's face.

"I know a guy."

**A/N: Hey guys! I've got plans tonight, so you get your chapter early today. Lucky you. ;)**

**Don't forget to check out my Tumblr Blog, Ella's Writing Desk! Link is in my profile!**


	7. Chapter 6

"You're joking."

"Nope."

"You're serious?"

"Yup."

Ned's eyes were the size of dinner plates.

"Tony Stark-"

"Yes."

"-wants me-"

"Mmmhmm."

"-to help the Avengers-"

"Uh-huh."

"-hack into HYDRA?"

Peter nodded.

"And you're sure you're not joking?"

"Positive."

Ned went silent, working through what Peter had told him. It was a lot to take in, after all.

"Look," Peter started, "Tony needs to find a specific file in the HYDRA database but his decryption software can't get past the firewall. He thought maybe a hacker could get in easier and asked if I knew anyone that could do it."

"And you suggested me?"

"Yeah, man. You're the first person I thought of. You can do it, right?"

"I mean, yeah, I guess. I'd have to poke around a bit, figure out the coding language, try to find a backdoor into the server…"

"Dude, you hacked into my suit. You got past programs designed by Tony Stark himself. You can do this." Peter gave Ned's shoulder a pat.

"I mean, if you're sure…"

"I'm sure. Once you get inside, can you search for a specific phrase?"

"Oh yeah, that's easy enough. Getting in is gonna be the hard part. And if it's as heavily protected as you say it is, this isn't gonna be some instantaneous thing. It'll take time."

"That's okay. Tony said that the last time SHIELD tried to hack in it took them like three days."

"It could be longer than that."

"Doesn't matter. As long as you can get inside. So, are you in?"

"Dude, of course. On one condition."

"Name it."

Ned looked him in the eye, fully serious. "Unlimited Dr. Peppers."

"Deal."

ooOOoo

"This is your guy?" Tony asked, not-so-subtly eyeing Ned up and down. He seemed unconvinced.

Peter put an arm around Ned. "Yup. If anyone can get in, Ned can do it. He's the one that hacked my suit."

Tony raised an eyebrow at that. "That was you, huh?"

Ned was in such a state of awe that he wasn't able to answer at first. "Uh, I mean, um… yeah?"

"And you think you can hack into one of the most secure databases on God's green earth?"

Ned just gulped and nodded.

Tony frowned. "You're not doing a very good job of convincing me."

"He's having a bit of a moment," Peter explained. "But I swear he can do it. Just plant him in front of a computer and give him a Dr. Pepper and you'll be in before you know it."

Tony sighed. "I'm trusting you here, kid. I'm not convinced, but if you say he can do it, I'll give him a shot."

"Yes!" Peter pumped his fist in the air. "C'mon Ned, let's find a place for you to set up."

Peter put his hands on Ned's shoulders and guided him out of the room and down the hall. Tony could still hear them talking as they got further away.

"We're in the compound, Peter… That's Tony Stark…"

"I know man, I know…"

ooOOoo

"...so the cybersecurity these guys have is off the charts. It's gonna take me a while to get in," Ned explained, his eyes never leaving his laptop screen.

"But you can do it, right?" Peter asked, looking at the computer over his shoulder.

Ned nodded. "Eventually. But with security this intense, they'll know I'm there almost immediately. We'll have to act fast. What am I supposed to look for when I get in?"

Peter slid a slip of paper with Lia's oft-repeated phrase on it in front of him. "This."

Ned briefly glanced down at the paper. "What does it mean?"

"No idea."

"That's helpful."

"It's all we've got. Tony says to search for that phrase and pull as many relevant files as you can before they boot you out. Put them on this." He handed Ned a flash drive.

"I can do that. But can you please stop staring over my shoulder? It's kind of distracting."

"Right, sorry." Peter took a few steps back. "I'm gonna go check on Lia. If you need anything, shout."

"Will do."

ooOOoo

Lia was sulking when Peter came to check on her. Dr. Maxfield was already in there, shining a flashlight into Lia's eyes to check her pupil dilation. She turned when Peter came in.

"Oh, hello! Mr. Stark asked me to come and check on Lia here again. He said she was having some more language trouble. In all actuality, I think we've made a bit of a breakthrough."

"What do you mean?"

"She seems to understand most of what I'm saying. She's just having trouble speaking English. That's good progress, though. Her brain seems to be healing."

Lia took one look at Peter and turned her head to stare at the wall.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

She shook her head. "No."

"She was not happy when I came to check on her. I've heard she doesn't like doctors," Dr. Maxfield commented.

"Yeah, she's had some bad experiences with them in the past," Peter replied apologetically.

"It's perfectly alright. Everything seems to be okay, so I'll just be on my way. Call me if you need me."

"Thanks."

The doctor left the room, leaving Peter alone with Lia. He took a few steps toward her.

"Lia?"

She didn't respond.

"Lia, I know you hate the doctor, but she's the one helping you get better."

"No."

"Lia-"

"No!"

Peter sighed. "Fine, next time the doctor comes I'll stay in here with you. Would that make you feel better?"

She glanced at him briefly, then quickly looked back at the wall. "Fine."

"Thank you." He sat next to her on the bed. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged. "Okay."

"Does your head hurt?"

She shook her head. "No pain."

"That's good." He paused. "Ned's here. He's working on finding a way into the Hydra database so we can find the file you keep talking about."

She looked up at that. "Ned?"

"Yeah, Ned. He's been worried about you."

"I miss Ned."

Peter grinned. "That's the first full sentence you've said in a while."

She pressed her mouth into a thin line. "Shut up."

He laughed. "Yeah, you're feeling better."

ooOOoo

Ned was at the compound for almost three straight days, stopping only to use the bathroom and sleep. Peter forced him to take a break one day to go see Lia, who was ecstatic when she saw him. They talked for a few minutes about how things were going. Well, he talked and she added a few words here and there.

Now, several days and many, many Dr. Peppers later, Ned finally felt he was on the cusp of victory. He had managed to locate a weakness in the firewall. A few more keystrokes and they would be in.

"Excuse me, Tony Stark's AI?" he asked politely.

_"Yes, sir?"_

"Would you please tell Peter and Mr. Stark that I found a way in and they need to come and see?"

_"Of course, sir."_

"Thank you."

Peter was there not two minutes later, with Tony following close behind him. "You found a way in?" Peter asked.

Ned nodded. "Yeah. I didn't utilize it yet. I thought maybe you guys would want to be here."

"Well don't keep us waiting then, hotshot," Tony said. He would be lying if he said he wasn't impressed.

Ned typed a few more things into his computer, and just like that, they were inside.

Just as he had predicted, the system immediately recognized that there was an intruder and started trying to shut him out.

"Search for the term, quick!" Peter said worriedly.

"I'm trying! It's not as easy as it looks!"

Ned was typing fast than the speed of light. He began pulling as many files as he could and putting them on the flash drive Peter had given him.

Ned's computer bluescreened not even a minute later.

"No!" he cried, banging his fist on the desk he was sitting at. "No no no no no!"

"It's okay, kid. I'll get you a new one," Tony said, patting Ned on the shoulder. "Top of the line."

"Did you manage to get any files?" Peter asked anxiously.

"I dunno. I definitely put some on the drive, but whether or not they're still there remains to be seen."

He pulled the drive from his now-ruined laptop and handed it to Tony, who immediately turned around and plugged it into the computer in the empty office they were working in.

"Well, would you look at that," Tony said. "We've got six files here. And these are all related to the search query?"

"Yeah. Those six were the most relevant."

Tony nodded, lost in thought for a moment. "Hey kid, how would you like to meet the rest of the Avengers?"

Peter thought Ned's eyes might pop out of his skull. "You… you really mean it, sir?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't mean it."

"I would love to meet the other Avengers!" Ned cleared his throat. "I mean, um, yeah, that would be cool."

"Sweet. Webs, take your buddy upstairs to the residential floor, then grab Lia and bring her with you to my lab. I think she's gonna want to see this."

ooOOoo

Ten minutes later, Peter was standing with Lia in Tony's lab, staring at one of the many computer monitors that were scattered around the room.

"Where's Ned?" she asked. Her English was getting a lot better.

"I left him on the residential floor. Last I saw him he was sitting in between Clint and Thor on the couch while they played Mario Kart. He looked like he was either gonna pass out or puke out of pure awe and joy."

She gave him a weird look. "Okay?"

"Alright, here we are," Tony exclaimed. "These are the files that your buddy managed to pull from the database. Come over and take a look, Tesla. Tell us if something jumps out at you."

She nodded and read the file titles, stopping at the last one.

Project Alpha Force; Classified.

She pointed. "That one."

"Alpha Force? That's the breeding program that created you, right?" Peter asked.

"Mmm-hmm. AF. Alpha Force."

"Oh… Oh! That's what you've been talking about!" Peter was starting to get excited.

Tony opened the file. It was a list of numbers, one through fifteen. Lia pointed at number thirteen.

"That's me," she said.

Tony clicked on the number thirteen. A whole host of information appeared on the screen. Blood test results, reports from all of her physicals, IQ scores… and there, in the middle of it all, was the same phrase Lia had been repeating all week.

_Genetic Lineage: AF subjects #19 & #24._

And suddenly, Lia knew exactly what that line meant.

That one line of Times New Roman held the key to figuring out who she was.

The last thing she remembered before the room started to fade was Peter's arms catching her before she hit the floor.

**A/N: So... I realize I've kinda ghosted you guys these past few months... honestly, I wasn't in the right frame of mind to write. Between moving twice in one summer, some serious issues in my family, and my worsening mental health, I've had other things on my mind. But now that things have calmed down, I'm hoping to finish this story. I promised you guys I would finish it, and I intend to keep that promise. Thanks for being patient. I'm doing a lot better now and I can't wait for you guys to read the next few chapters!**

**-Ella 3**


	8. Chapter 7

Tonight is the night.

She has spent weeks, no, months, planning this. Planning every detail, preparing for every contingency. She has kept quiet about everything she knows. Certainly, no one suspects a thing from her, the good little soldier that never asks questions or steps out of line. The eight-year-old child they've trained like a dog to obey at all costs, no matter the order. They think they've broken her like a horse, gotten into her head. They believe they have complete control over her.

Oh, how very wrong they are.

For though they believe she is broken, the exact opposite is true. She is very much aware of all that goes on around her. She knows that the people here are not good. They want her to hurt people, people who haven't done anything wrong. They claim it's for the greater good. But what could possibly be so good that it requires the death of so many others? She doesn't think such a thing exists.

She has learned to trust no one, to take everything they say at face value. She knows that they're lying to her, lying about everything. She knows she wasn't abandoned as a child. She doesn't know what actually happened, but she knows their explanation is nothing but an excuse.

Tonight, she's going to find out the truth.

It all starts when she wakes up. Six am, the same time she's woken up every day for years. One of the scientists brings her the morning meal: tasteless oatmeal, with various vitamins and supplements mixed in. She eats every bite, running over her plan in her head. As soon as she finishes eating, she dresses in the same grey shirt and pants she wears every day and pulls the thick grey blanket she sleeps with over her bed.

A few minutes later, her Amme arrives to take her to train. They don't speak. They never do.

As they pass the research division on their way to training, she flicks her wrist, sending a few drops of rain to hit the plugs for the coffee machines. Two of the machines short out silently, while the third one begins to smoke. One of the scientists takes notice and alerts the others, who all turn to look. While they're gawking, she slips a pair of scissors off the desk nearest to her and puts them in the waistband of her pants. She nonchalantly drops them in a potted plant a few minutes later.

Several hours later, after a few indoor and outdoor training exercises, she is being led back down the hallway past the research division. She silently retrieves the scissors from the plant and puts them back in her pants. The entire division looks exhausted. It seems they weren't able to fix the coffee machines, and those are the only ones in the building. Going building-to-building is prohibited, so it looks like everyone will have to do without coffee for the day.

Once she returns to her room, she kicks the scissors under her bed and sits down to await the midday meal. So far, everything is going exactly as planned.

Her meal arrives shortly after: a ham and cheese sandwich on wheat bread, carrots, apple slices, and milk. She unwraps her sandwich and sticks the plastic wrap under her pillow, along with the napkin they provided, and proceeds to eat her meal.

ooOOoo

After her afternoon lessons with her tutor, it's time for the evening meal. It's Saturday, which means she gets a special dinner instead of the bland dinners she normally gets. If she remembers correctly (and she's praying she does) then tonight she'll get waffles, which is vital to her plan. If she gets something else, she'll have to postpone everything, which isn't something she wants.

Luckily, her memory serves her well. Not only does she get waffles for dinner, but they are delivered by her favorite scientist, Dr. Lewis. She's the only nice person in the entire facility.

"Hello! How are you today?" the scientist asks softly in German.

"I'm very well, thank you," she responds politely. "How are you?"

"I'm tired. The coffee machines broke today. But I'm happy I get to see you."

She takes her meal from the scientist, relief flooding her veins when she sees that it is, indeed, a waffle.

"I've been thinking," Dr. Lewis continues, lowering her voice. "We ought to give you a proper name, don't you think?"

She just blinks. "I have a name. My name is _Dreizehn_."

The scientist wrinkles her nose. "But that's only a number. You deserve a real name, a proper name. Only you and I would know about it, of course, but then you would have something to call yourself other than that."

"But what would my name be?"

"It could be whatever you want it to be."

She thinks for a moment. "Well, what's your name?"

Dr. Lewis smiles. "My name is Hannah. But I think your name should be something only you have."

"Hannah is a pretty name. But I want something special."

"Well, think about it. I'll try and bring you your evening meal tomorrow so we can talk about it some more. Okay?"

She nods. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

She eats her evening meal in silence, thinking hard about what the scientist said. What would she want her name to be? People don't often get a chance to choose what they're called, she muses. What would suit her? Should it be long or short? There are so many options to choose from. She knows it'll take a while to find one she'll really like.

She makes sure to carefully shake the powdered sugar off of her waffle and into the napkin she saved earlier; she'll need it later. The next step of her plan won't take place for several hours, so she finishes her waffle and settles in to read for a while. Dr. Lewis brought her a copy of the Wind in the Willows a few days ago, and she's nearly finished.

At nine o'clock, the lights in her room shut off.

Perfect.

Now comes the most challenging part of the plan: getting out.

She's studied the guards, knows their patterns forward and backward. She knows the exact time of the night guard change (one am) and knows that after the first guards leave, the new ones won't show up for a few minutes. Things are a bit more lax at night, and not as strict. She'll have only a few minutes to prep things and get out, so she'll have to be quick.

She slides underneath her thick grey blanket and starts going over the plan again in her head.

At one am, as soon as the guards left, she would jump out of bed and rearrange things to look like she was still there. She wasn't worried about being seen on the surveillance cameras; the security officer assigned to watch them often fell asleep on the job, especially if he didn't get his evening cup of coffee. Seeing as all the coffee machines were out of order, he would most certainly be asleep by then.

She just has to focus on not falling asleep herself.

ooOOoo

Time seems to drag on forever.

To keep herself awake, she tells herself stories. Stories about little girls with mommies and daddies and brothers and sisters that would all play together, just like in the books she reads. Stories about dogs and cats and other animals that talked to each other and went on grand adventures. Stories about witches and fairies and princesses. She pretends that she is the princess in those stories, that a handsome prince is on his way to save her from the wicked witch keeping her imprisoned in this place. Deep down, she knows that nobody will ever come for her. Nobody really cares.

She glances at the clock outside her room and stops. It's 12:57. It's almost time.

She starts mentally preparing for what's about to happen.

_I can do this. They'll never catch me. I've thought everything out. I can do this._

She hears movement outside the door and knows that it's time to put things in motion.

Quiet as a mouse, she slips out of bed and stuffs one of her pillows into the sheets. If anyone peeks through the door, they won't be able to tell a difference.

She pulls the scissors out from under her bed and grabs the plastic wrap from her sandwich and the napkin filled with powdered sugar before walking over to the door and peering through the window.

Nobody's there.

She smiles a little bit. So far so good.

She holds the edge of the scissors to the area of the door where the electronic lock is and focuses her powers on the metal part, sending the smallest amount of lightning through it to the other side.

The door unlocks.

She takes a deep breath. Then, she steps outside.

It feels strange, being outside her room at night. It's much quieter than normal. She's never really gone anywhere on her own before, adding an element of excitement to her mission. It's an odd sense of freedom, one that she finds she enjoys.

She closes the door and resets the lock before heading down an empty corridor. She's only been down this way once, when there was a small fire in the research lab and they had to evacuate the building. Her Amme had all but dragged her down the hallway to the emergency exit, where they sat outside in the freezing cold for over an hour while waiting for the fire to be put out. She retraces that path in her mind, walking down the hallway until she gets to the door she's seeking.

The records room.

If this place has any information about her parents, it'll be in here.

This door has two locks, an electronic one and a fingerprint scanner. Luckily, she's come prepared.

She pulls out the napkin and blows a little bit of powdered sugar onto the scanner. It sticks to the oils remaining there from the last use, revealing a fingerprint. She wraps her thumb in the plastic wrap and pushes on the scanner. She isn't one hundred percent certain this will work, but she's fairly sure. And if it doesn't, she'll just hide out here until the guard change at five am and sneak back into her room as if nothing happened.

The scanner accepts the faux fingerprint, granting her access. She uses the scissors to trick the electronic lock again, and the doorknob unlocks.

She's in.

She takes a second to soak in the fact that she, an eight-year-old child, managed to outsmart people decades older than her. It took a lot of planning, but she's here now, and she doesn't want to waste a second.

There are rows and rows of filing cabinets in this room, all organized with letters and numbers. She isn't entirely certain where to start. Walking down the rows, she decides to start at the beginning. That one line in her file began with AF, so logically the A's would be the best place to start.

There are several filing cabinets with A's on them, so she starts with the first one, flipping through a few folders near the end. No, this one only goes to A, subcategory C. She needs A, subcategory F.

She continues digging through drawer after drawer of files, keeping note of the clock on the wall. She's already been at this for almost an hour, and progress is slow.

Finally, she reaches a file labeled 'Alpha Force - Classified'.

She's heard of Alpha Force. That's the program she's in. Could that be what AF means?

She flips it open and starts reading.

There's a lot of information to process; there are lots of pictures of infants and small children wearing clothes with numbers on them. There are progress reports, blood test results, training and diet regimens, and all sorts of other things that she isn't sure about. There's a list of test subjects in the very back, labeled from one to thirty.

_AF subjects #19 & #24…_

She runs her finger down the page, stopping at number nineteen.

_19\. Becker, Elsa Marie, 22_

_7/14/79_

_Paired with #24_

_Infant #13_

_24\. Keller, Albrecht, 27_

_2/27/73_

_Paired with #19_

_Infant #13_

She can barely breathe.

These names… they're her parents…. her parents...

There is something smudged underneath her mother's entry, some sort of writing that somebody has tried to remove. Another number, maybe?

"_DREIZEHN_!"

She whirls around, terrified, to see an unbelievably angry Dr. Pohl, surrounded by several guards. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT OF YOUR ROOM?!" he screams.

"What did you do to my parents?!" she yells. "They didn't abandon me! Tell me the truth!"

Dr. Pohl stands, silently fuming, while the guards rush over to her and grab her arms. They snap a collar around her neck, prohibiting her from using her powers.

"I see you've found out the truth," he continues. "You want to know where your parents are?"

She nods, scowling at him.

"YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD! WE HAD THEM KILLED!" he shouts at her.

Her mouth falls open in shock. Tears start rolling down her cheeks. "Why?"

"Because, _Dreizehn_. Nobody likes loose ends." He clicks his tongue. "It's such a shame. You've created another loose end, one that we'll have to tie up."

Her eyes widen. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No," he replies, turning around. He gestures to the guards to follow him, bringing her with. "We are going to do something much, much worse."

She starts kicking and screaming, desperately trying anything she can to get away from them.

Dr. Pohl walks calmly down the hall, into a room she's never been in before. There's a strange-looking metal chair in the corner with lots of arms stretching outward and some sort of built-in helmet.

She's not entirely sure how, but she knows deep in her bones that that thing is evil.

Dr. Pohl points at the chair. "Strap her in."

She starts screaming. "Help! Help me!"

The guards force her into the chair and strap her down.

"Now that we've finally perfected this treatment on the Asset, we can use it on her as well," he explains to the guards, completely ignoring her screaming. He presses a few buttons.

"You know the rules, child. You deliberately disobeyed me. That sort of behavior requires punishment. Don't worry. This will be excruciating, but you won't remember any of it."

She's sobbing at this point, absolutely terrified. "Please, please, no! I don't want it to hurt! Please, no!"

Dr. Pohl looks at her with absolutely no emotion in his eyes.

"Do not disobey me."

Then, he turns it on.

The entire complex echoes with her screams for the rest of the night.

**A/N: As I'm editing this, I'm realizing that my imagination is a lot more sadistic than I originally thought... Maybe I need to put a parental lock on my brain...**

**All evil aside, I actually had a lot of fun coming up with Lia's escape plan. Did I do a good job?**

**-Ella**


End file.
